Biography

Professor Janaka Ruwanpura, Ph.D., P.Eng.,PQS, MRICS

Professor Janaka Ruwanpura is the new Vice-Provost (International) at the University of Calgary (effective Feb. 1, 2013). Prior to this role, he has been a Professor and the Canada Research Chair in Project Management Systems in the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, Canada. He is the Founding Directorof the Centre for Project Management Excellence at the University of Calgary and has been the Director of Project Management since 2005. He earned his Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Quantity Surveying from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka in 1992, a Master of Science inConstruction Management from Arizona State University in 1997, and a Ph.D. in Construction Engineering andManagement from the University of Alberta in 2001. Professor Ruwanpura joined the University of Calgary as an assistant professor in 2001. He was promoted to an Associate Professor with Tenure in 2006 and a Full Professor in 2011.

Prof. Ruwanpura, a former US Fulbright scholar, has developed many best practices and tools that have been successfully implemented in the construction industry for productivity improvement, project planning, risk management, decision analysis and sustainability. Dr. Ruwanpura commenced a major Canadian Construction Productivity Improvement research project at the University of Calgary from 2003 which developed many best practices and tools to improve productivity of construction projects. He has published over 160 technical papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings. He has also delivered over 100 workshops in the last 4 years to train the construction industry personnel to use the new tools and best practices developed through his research project on “Top Ten Targets for Improving Construction Productivity.” Calgary Construction Association honoured Dr. Ruwanpura with a prestigious “Industry Partnership Award” in 2012 for his contribution to Canadian Construction Industry in terms collaboration, innovation and transformation.

As the Director of Project Management, he has brought several new initiatives to the program to boost teaching, training, research, internationalization and professional services. This includes offering M.Eng. programs of the University of Calgary in Asia and Middle East and developing a two-tier “Project Management Certification (PMC)” program for industry professionals. Prof. Ruwanpura has been recognized with many awards for teaching, research, service, graduate education and internationalization at the University of Calgary. He was also honoured with Walter Shanly career award for construction engineering from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and the Brian D. Dunfield Education Service from the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering in 2012.

As the recipient of the University of Calgary’s International Achievement Award in 2006, Prof. Ruwanpura’s passion for international activities grew-up over the years and the University of Calgary appointed him as the Vice-Provost (International) to lead the realization of the university’s international strategy. Prof. Ruwanpura had agreed given up his second term of the Canada Research Chair appointment to lead the Internationalization efforts of the University due to his passion and interests in this area. Prior to being appointed as Vice-Provost (International), his involvement in international activities is comprehensive, including teaching, training, research, administration and service activities. He has led negotiations and successfully implemented two teaching contracts that offered the University of Calgary’s M.Eng. degree program in project management to students working for the National Iranian Oil Company in Tehran in 2005; negotiated new opportunities to offer project management programs in Mumbai, India in 2011 and serves as the convener (from 2010) and co-leader for the International Institute for Infrastructure Renewal and Reconstruction, a multi-university consortium of over 20 Universities around the world, which has collaborative research in disaster planning and management.

He is a licensed professional engineer (P.Eng) in Alberta and a professional quantity surveyor (PQS) in Canada. He is also a Professional/Chartered Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, UK (MRICS). Apart from his professional membership, he is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering.